Pauper: Mono-Red Kiln Fiend - Deck Tech and Sideboard Guide

Mono-Red Prowess, Hot Dogs, Kiln Fiend - this deck has many names, but Kiln Fiend is the most popular, particularly as it is the name of the most important creature in the list.

Kiln Fiend is a 2-drop that has a great synergy with instants and sorceries. It gets +3/+0 until the end of the turn whenever you cast these types of spells.

The idea, then, is to get as much as you can from this synergy by playing numerous spells and buffing its power. This way, Kiln Fiend will be able to deal lethal damage very quickly, and many times in a single turn, as well as attack without many issues. Your opponent will have nowhere to run.

Besides Kiln Fiend, this deck includes other creatures that work really well with its game plan and can also, potentially, end the game.

Festival Crasher is very similar to Kiln Fiend because it can block creatures that are slightly bigger and also gets a buff when you cast instants or sorceries. Satyr Hoplite is this deck's designated 1-drop and has the Heroic ability, which states: whenever you cast a spell and target Hoplite with it, you'll get to add a +1/+1 counter to it.

Then, to get even more value out of these creatures, which we'll turn into true megazords, this list also plays a decent number of instants, sorceries, and enchantments. After all, this is a spellslinger aggro deck.

Furor of the Bitten is an excellent way to make Satyr gigantic in the first few turns. You can even do this on turn 1 if you have Rite of Flame in hand.

Ancestral Anger gets better as the game goes on. As for Mutagenic Growth, you can often use it to deal some extra damage and even deal lethal damage in some situations, as it is a free spell.

Blessing and Battle Rage are very popular in this archetype. The first one gives you protection or evasion, depending on the situation, and the second always ends the game for you if your creatures are big enough.

Mulligan and Game Style

Like many other decks, you'll often need to mulligan after the most efficient hand possible while playing Mono-Red Kiln Fiend. Hands without any creatures, not enough lands, or too many lands are always too risky.

Prioritize hands like the one above. This hand can set up a Turn 2 Kill if you're playing first, depending on the next card you draw and your opponent. If you're drawing first, you can put Kiln Fiend in play on turn 2 with the mana from your lands, depending on your opponent as well.

Please note that this is a combo deck, so you need to get specific pieces to win. Keep that in mind.

Vs. Kuldotha Red

This is one of the most popular decks right now, as well as one of the best Pauper decks in the last years. Mono-Red has been popular since Duskmourn and Clockwork Percussionist came along, so Kuldotha Red should be popular again really soon.

In this matchup, you'll need to be careful when they play Burn on your creatures, but the rest is basically a race. Your opponent will have to play uncomfortably because they simply will not be able to go all-in on you and become vulnerable to a counter-attack.

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Vs. Glee Combo

In this matchup, regardless if they're playing the full combo (BG Glee) or Jund Glee, you'll have a few turns to finish the game, particularly on game 1, so use this to your advantage. Otherwise, it's just another race: your opponent will have to survive until they can win, and you'll need to race them and kill them as fast as you can.

Their colorless Eldrazi tokens and Writhing Chrysalis itself are a problem because they can block even if you protect your own creatures. On the other side, Apostle's Blessing is great against your opponent's Snuff Out and will give you the space Temur Battle Rage needs to work.

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Vs. Mono Blue Terror

This is a very complex matchup, and I consider it a bad matchup to a certain degree. Mono U needs to stabilize the game by putting their Serpents in play, and they also need to answer your plays. Boomerang isn't a great answer, but Hydroblasts could become an issue. Delver also helps this deck's control game plan.

Post-side, get your Pyroblasts and always try to play your creatures before your opponent gets access to a lot of mana. Otherwise, they'll probably just counter everything you play and ruin your plans.

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Vs. Elves

Elves have performed well lately, and are a very favorable matchup, as they'll hardly be able to interact with you. They're also very vulnerable to the Hot Dogs strategy. Be quick and don't give your opponent any time to recover or organize their game plan.

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Vs. Gruul Ramp

This is deck is also quite popular nowadays. You might stumble on the Land Destruction version, but the Ramp version is more popular, so I'll focus on that version for today.

This is a good matchup. Basically, your opponent can't do much against you. Follow your main game plan, be fast, and try to win the game, but don't let your opponent build their board, or beating them will become incredibly difficult.

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Mono-Red Kiln Fiend is a fun deck that has given me some great experiences in Pauper. In a metagame that centers more around aggro or combo, it is an excellent deck, but it might struggle if Snuff Out or blue decks are very popular.

What did you think of this deck? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!